Kamehameha II in London, 1824
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j. susan corley The British Press Greets the King of the Sandwich Islands: Kamehameha II in London, 1824 Portsmouth—May 17. Arrived L’Aigle, Captain Starbuck, from the South Seas and Rio de Janeiro; she has on board the King and Queen of the Sandwich Isles; and several chiefs, come to England to pay a visit to his Majesty King George IV.1 Kamehameha II, who preferred the name Liholiho, became an object of considerable public curiosity as soon as he stepped ashore at Portsmouth, England on May 17, 1824. Over the next several weeks, the press speculated repeatedly about the visitors’ reasons for coming to England. More than 80 newspaper items appeared about the royal couple from the time of their arrival until their deaths in mid-July. Some newspaper coverage looked for opportunities to poke fun at the Sandwich Islanders and deride their appearance, character, and background, and one newspaper’s coverage was particularly virulent; but most newspapers just reported the news in a straightforward, J. Susan Corley holds a Master’s degree in History from the University of Arizona with an interest in Hawaiian history. Her thesis, Hawaii, 1819–1830: Years of Decision, can be found in the University of Hawai‘i library holdings. Now retired from her position as Vice President/Human Resources from Maui Land & Pineapple Company, Mrs. Corley pursues her study of Liholiho and his impact on Hawai‘i’s modernization. She also holds a M.B.A. from the University of Hawai‘i and is a member of the Maui Historical Society and the Hawaiian Historical Society. The Hawaiian Journal of History, vol. 42 (2008) 69 70 the hawaiian journal of history objective manner. Whatever the slant adopted by any individual news- paper, more than a dozen mostly-London newspapers kept alive the story of the king and queen of the Sandwich Islands who had come to England to meet King George. There is, of course, more to their story than just what one can read in the newspapers, but through newspaper articles a bystander can experience the same sense of fascination about every detail of these Sandwichean Majesties as did an average Englishman of London in 1824. At fi rst viewed only as simple, curiously dressed people who act differently, through the eyes of most newspaper reporters Liholiho and Kamamalu grow into a stylish, well-mannered couple capable of handling a variety of social situations with aplomb. Liholiho—fi rst seen just as a savage chief come to give away his islands—develops in the eyes of some reporters into a king who understands how to be a king. London takes this royal couple into their hearts—and then the city’s own heart breaks when Liholiho and Kamamalu die without ever getting to meet King George. Off to England Captain Kent, aboard the British colonial cutter Mermaid, arrived at Oahu in 1822 from New South Wales to deliver into the hands of the king of the Sandwich Islands a present from the king of Great Britain—a schooner christened Prince Regent. This present, arriving so unexpectedly and at a time when Liholiho was casting about searching for pathways on which to lead his islands into a modern world, gave Liholiho the opportunity to introduce himself to George IV by way of a letter of thanks. Most poignantly in light of future events, Liho- liho wrote George IV that he “wished to place his Sandwich Islands under the protection of the British crown,” and that he wanted to be “thought worthy [of] the confi dence I place in your Majesty’s wis- dom and judgment.” Signing with his regal name, Tamehameha II closed with the hope that George IV “may deem it fi t to answer this as soon as convenient; and your Majesty’s counsel and advice will be most thankfully received by your Majesty’s most obedient and devoted servant.” 2 Certainly Liholiho faced great leadership challenges, and he had kamehameha ii in london, 1824 71 good reason to ask George IV for counsel, advice, and a speedy reply. Commercial growth at Oahu had grown exponentially with the expan- sion of the sperm whaling industry into the northern Pacifi c Ocean in the early 1820s. By 1823, upwards of 30 commercial vessels could be counted in the roadstead and harbor of Honolulu in any given month during the winter whaling season. Most of the vessels sailed from the United States of America; only a few from England.3 Sailors, mer- chantmen, and traders crowded the ports and harbor towns, ignor- ing the islanders’ customs and beliefs, disdaining the efforts of the foreign missionaries, and regularly inciting breaches of the peace.4 The traditional system of law and order had been intertwined with the traditional religion, and so when Liholiho abolished the kapu system in 1819, that left the islands with a weakened system of laws. Liholiho understood that he needed to put into place a new civil structure, and he also knew he needed advice on how to create a civil administration capable of handling the changing needs of his subjects and maintain- ing order among so many foreigners.5 But no speedy answer arrived. And so Liholiho, increasingly dis- trustful of the intentions of the resident Americans and other foreign- ers,6 formed a plan to travel to England to learn directly from King George himself how best to manage these new, complex commercial relations within his kingdom. Liholiho’s chiefs did not endorse this bold plan. It was not just that the chiefs were concerned about the length of the voyage; they also distrusted the motives and character of Valentine Starbuck, the captain of the English South Seas whaler L’Aigle, on which Liholiho proposed to sail. Fearing Starbuck’s chica- nery but unable to dissuade Liholiho from going, the chiefs insisted that Liholiho’s message should be delivered by him directly to the king of England himself. The chiefs apparently hoped that this restric- tion would prevent Starbuck from posing as Liholiho’s spokesperson. Liholiho did agree to speak only to King George.7 He remained stead- fast to this promise throughout his stay in London.8 And so, despite everyone’s objections, Liholiho, his favorite queen Kamamalu, and his royal suite boarded L’Aigle and sailed away from the Sandwich Islands November 27, 1823. After a long voyage, includ- ing a lengthy stop at Rio de Janeiro, Liholiho and his suite arrived at Portsmouth, England aboard L’Aigle on May 17, 1824. Liholiho, 72 the hawaiian journal of history Kamamalu, and other members of their suite left the vessel at Ports- mouth and traveled with Starbuck to London.9 The Press Speculates British Admiral Eyre stationed at Rio de Janeiro sent word to his Admiralty of Liholiho’s intentions by letter marked “secret” and car- ried aboard L’Aigle. Relating that Liholiho was on his way to England “to pay his respects to His Britannic Majesty, and to put his islands, he says, under His Majesty’s protection,” Eyre also reported that Liholiho “seems to know how to appreciate the attentions which have been paid to him here” by the Brazilian Emperor. Traveling as it did on the same ship, the letter arrived at the Foreign Offi ce in London the day after Liholiho stepped ashore at Portsmouth.10 These two themes sketched out by Admiral Eyre—that Liholiho seeks the protection of the British crown, and that the behavior of Liholiho and his royal suite appears to be appropriate enough for the British court—would be picked up by newspapers and would domi- nate coverage of the Sandwich Islanders’ visit. The press would inter- weave with these threads a fascination about the Sandwich Islanders’ physical appearance, personal manners and habits, and constant speculation as to when George IV himself would deign to grant them an audience. Newspaper coverage began immediately. Brief press coverage in three different newspapers amounted simply to repeating “ship’s news” picked up a day or two after the publishing of ships’ arrivals of May 17 at Portsmouth.11 Two days later, the royal suite had been tracked to their lodgings in London, at Osborn’s Hotel in the respect- able Adelphi Terrace area of London, just off the Strand near the Thames.12 That location landed the royal party right in the heart of the London publishing district. More than a dozen well-circulated news- papers had their publishing offi ces within a mile or so of Osborn’s Hotel. Each advocated particular points of view; some distinguished their editorial positions based on political or religious affi liation, and others provided sporting news, fashionable intelligence, or otherwise appealed to a variety of literary and dramatic interests. Only The Times, already esteemed internationally, eschewed political affi liation, with a kamehameha ii in london, 1824 73 policy of providing “hard news” written with an indifference to politi- cal interests and connections. And so it was The Times that printed one of the fi rst “hard news only” stories amplifying an interesting tidbit printed elsewhere on the day after their arrival: Liholiho had traveled to England to study the English constitution and to seek the protection of Great Britain “in consequence of an attempt by the Russians to form a settlement there, to which the natives were extremely averse, but were not strong enough to resist openly.” 13 The Times indicated skepticism about the judgment of the royal party generally, noting that very long voyages are “unusual with crowned heads,” and ending with the churlish com- ment that “[b]oth purposes, it is probable, might have been equally well answered had ‘their Majesties’ remained in their own domin- ions.” 14 Liholiho’s desire to seek protection suited the understandings of the British government, however, which commonly distrusted the intentions of the Russians and had only the previous year disengaged itself from the Holy Alliance put together by Alexander I of Russia.